It's not hihi, just vi ses

Tonight is officially my last night in Copenhagen. I got back from the cruise around 2 and am all packed already, it was actually very quick and I got everything into my big suitcase and a little one my dad brought me with both of them being under weight. The cruise was great though, I have some great lines to show for it. We spent the nights on the ship and went to a few different cities during the days. Went to Monte Carlo first, then Rome, Pisa, Pompeii, Naples and Puerto de Mallorca. They're incredibly beautiful but its so hard to get anything more than a very superficial feel, especially with a city like Rome. The parts we saw though where incredibly overwhelming...actually, to say that getting off a bus and standing in front of the Colosseum is overwhelming is a huge understatement, but we're going with it for lack of a better word.

Ive been trying to reflect on this whole experience and its really hard to explain or figure out exactly what I think. The time here has flown by incredibly quickly...it seems as though just yesterday I was standing in the airport waiting to meet my host family. Coming here, I thought it would be hard to be away for an entire a semester, but looking back on it, I wish I had done a year. Its so hard to leave when Ive just really started to get to know the culture and people. Life changing to say the least. I think this has just fueled my desire to travel...and not the vacation travel, but the go and live in different places travel. I was talking to my brother about it and he thinks its crazy because it gives you no stability and makes it really hard to stay in touch. I agree. But I love the feeling of not knowing quite what to expect, as scary as it can be, and the day when you finally stop feeling like a tourist (until someone asks you for directions and you realize you really only know the routes you take all the time). So I think this is just the beginning. I really want to try and go to Africa next...that's incredibly general, I know, but I think Sudan and DRC are currently out of the question and I need to figure out a lot more before I can know where I want to go. In other words, this blog is over, but there will hopefully be another one in the not too distant future :)

2 days. what?

Leaving for Spain Sunday at 7am. That means that tomorrow will be my last actual day in Copenhagen. WTF?! Not okay, not ready. Family is here now. They were running late when we were supposed to meet so I decided to go get my cartilage pierced. I was thinking about getting something to commemorate the trip and I was walking past a tattoo/piercing place, so this is #4. Spanky leaves tomorrow morning- taking him to the airport at 920 :(

This is going by far too fast...Chicago a week and 3 days. Cleveland like 5 days after that. Bittersweet.

The motherland!!

Im sitting in my nephew's little chair (which fits roughly one of my buttcheeks). Got to St. Petersburg on Thursday at around 4..my dad and sister met me at the airport. She looks almost the same as she did five years ago when I last saw her, but a bit more slender since she isn't pregnant this time. First thing we did was picked up my nephew from preschool, and let me tell you, he's such a little stud. He looks identical to his father, so its the first and probably last time we'll have a blond haired, blue eyed one in the family. Anywho, he had light up ELMO shoes on which he was incredibly excited to show me. My dad asked if he knew who I was and he looks at my dad like he's an idiot and goes of course, its aunt Sasha (that's so strange to hear!) So our introduction was over his shoes and spiffy little overall outfit. But the stud part, we took one of his friends home because her mom couldn't pick her up until later...my dad was getting such a kick out of the fact his grandson is bringing girls home already, what a stud, really. But he's the most talkative, energetic, bouncing off the walls kid ever! Forget the fact there were two people he's never met before with him, I could barely follow what he was saying (and it wasn't the language barrier, thank you, my vocabulary isn't that bad). He also literally ran around the room in circles for about five minutes until we left. The little girl was adorable and made me hold her hand the entire ride and cried when her mom came to pick her up (oops?)

Anyway, we walked around the city center..Ive seen a lot of the touristy stuff last time I was here with my mom, but I havent been back at the same time as my dad since we moved almost 15 years ago so it was very interesting seeing the city through his eyes and hearing his stories. He showed me the bar he used to hang out at and the restaurant where he took my mom on one of their first dates (he was all nervous and got reservations that were really difficult to get way in advance and all and apparently mom left early, leaving him slightly heartbroken..but all worked out well). Did more sightseeing and went to the theater last night. Saw a comedy called "number 13" which was actually hilarious. I was a bit nervous there would be nuances I wouldnt understand but I followed it the whole time, so no worries. It was about the Prime Minister's assistant who was having an affair in some hotel when a thief (who turns out to be a private investigator hired by the husband) tried to break in and fell in the window and "died" (you find out later he isn't really dead, what a twist..sorry if I ruined the big surprise, yell at me if you see it?) and they try to hide the body with his secretary etc etc. Complex plot, but really simple storyline and funny...perfect for the night. Then got some wine and just sat and talked and caught up on the last five years of life.

Today we went and met up with my second cousin...I dont have any actual cousins so apparently we used to be really close. She's also twenty so it was really interesting comparing life here and there and getting a bit of a glimpse into how things could have been had I stayed here. She's also an interesting one to say the least, so listening to her stories was.....special (imagine a mix of incredibly blunt, dark sense of humor and who knows what else) She also talks about 5million words a second and walks even faster. Oh and she's roughly 6'2 so we know where the height in the family went (her mom is roughly the same, dad is taller). She did show me a little surprise- on one of the famous bridges where four horses stand, one of the horse's genitals is actually Napoleon's face, didn't see that one coming. Anywho, we grabbed lunch at some place my dad liked..it had a vegetarian menu which I haven't seen anywhere since I left the States so I was like a little kid in a candy store...only a 20 year old that could eat her veggies. Yeah strange I know. Anywho, it was delicious. Overall, great time thus far :)

(This is a few weeks later...)

The rest of the trip was equally great. We went to my dad's best friend's house and spent the entire day there. They used to teach together and apparently would go out to the bar after work as I learned from my dad's friends wife because she joked that she didn't like my dad because they always got in trouble together. The family is incredibly welcoming, energetic and hospitable. They made an obscene amount of russian food, brought out the old photo albums and we just spent the entire day sitting and talking. It was great getting a further glimpse into my dad's life when we lived there and I can understand why he didn't want to leave. He has the type of friendships there that are rare and you hang onto your whole life...they haven't seen each other for five years, and that's only with a few we ek visits here and there over the past 15 years, and still went back to right where they left off is. I can honestly say I dont remember seeing my dad as happy as he was there. I also haven't seen my dad bust out into song like he did there! By the end of the night, there was plenty of singing and the 97 year old grandma joined in along with the great granddaughter. It was a family affair to say the least. The grandma is hilarious and so full of love for life...she was asking us questions nonstop about everything and showed us her medals from the World Wars. And she got incredibly upset when they wouldn't let her drink anymore..like I said, full of life! Just listening to their stories and everything they have been through..and trust me, there has been plenty, and seeing ho w jovial they are was truly inspiring and I hope to have half the enthusiasm they do. Also, just seeing how much they opened their home and lives to us is so amazing to me. Leaving was slightly difficult because who knows next time Ill be back, but what are you going to do right? My dad asked me if I thought I could live there, and I think I could with no problem, but Im not sure I would want to. There is still a vast amount of corruption that is truly heartbreaking and the newer policies do not seem to be taking the country in the best direction. The directives for education are making it much more difficult for the average person to receive a good education and much more difficult for those in the system to provide a respectable education. My sister got so frustrated that she left and now works for the city hall as a social worker (best comparison I could make). Her position is actually really similar to what CASA does (Theta's philanthropy) which was really exciting to see- in cases where the child is not in a home that provides a proper environment she works with the court to figure out the best solution as an advocate for the child.

Overall, this was an amazing experience. I can not be happier that I went back because it truly changed my impression from last time I was back, when I was really heartbroken to see

some of the things that were going on. Despite the fact things are far from perfect...parts of the country do seem to be improving and the standard of living has increased a bit. Gives you hope.

I had a 6 hour layover in Helsinki on the way back so I went itno the city and wandered around. It is incredibly beautiful and the weather was great, so I checked out a few of the Churches and museums and then just hung out by the water and relaxed. Ah, what an amazing five days!